


if heaven and hell decide

by spiritypowers, wordswithdragons



Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: 2x03 canon divergence, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Callum/Claudia (the Dragon Prince) - Freeform, Eventual Callum/Rayla (The Dragon Prince), F/M, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Onesided mention of Soren/Rayla, POV Callum (The Dragon Prince), POV Claudia (The Dragon Prince), POV Ezran (The Dragon Prince), POV Rayla (The Dragon Prince), POV Soren (The Dragon Prince), a lil bit of worldbuilding - as a treat
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-06
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-19 11:08:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 16,621
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29873748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spiritypowers/pseuds/spiritypowers, https://archiveofourown.org/users/wordswithdragons/pseuds/wordswithdragons
Summary: Claudia convinces Soren to play the long game. OR: a post 2x03, canon divergence where Claudia and Soren travel with the trio rather than betraying them right away.
Relationships: Callum & Claudia & Ezran & Rayla & Soren (The Dragon Prince), Callum & Ezran & Rayla (The Dragon Prince), Callum & Soren (The Dragon Prince), Callum/Rayla (The Dragon Prince), Claudia & Rayla (The Dragon Prince), Claudia & Soren (The Dragon Prince), Ezran & Claudia & Soren (The Dragon Prince), Ezran & Rayla (The Dragon Prince), Rayla & Soren (The Dragon Prince)
Comments: 30
Kudos: 90





	1. prologue / pawn

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Jelly](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jelly/gifts).



> this divergence is mostly written in mind with season two (we're not going to go fully into season three territory). updates should be regular! :)

**prologue**

In another life, when her brother insists on doing things _the Soren way,_ Claudia dejectedly agrees. What other choice do they have? They need to bring the princes home sooner rather than later. The further they go, the longer it will take to get home. Claudia knows the elf doesn’t trust them and Callum trusts _her_ far more than he should.

So Claudia sighs and rolls her eyes and summons her snake bracelets to life with Dark Magic. Soren goes to kill the elf. Claudia is not the only one lying and the boys turn to mist; chains shackle her own wrists and let them escape on the moon phoenix. It makes her mouth taste like rust.

It never occurs to her that the elf could be more valuable alive than dead—that having a personal guide to Xadia could yield greater successes. Or even have answers about the mirror that the older elf who’s still a prisoner wasn’t willing to unleash when Claudia left. That her plan could go wrong and cost her every piece of Callum’s heart. She doesn’t let herself consider failure and the disappointment in her father’s eyes.

But in this life, Claudia thinks a moment longer, and one by one these thoughts run through her head. Step by step on the dirt road leading away from the Nexus, a new plan takes shape. Reminds her of being a little girl and the way her father and mother taught her how to play chess, her mother winking slyly everytime she beat her husband. _It’s about playing the long game._

In this life, Claudia grabs Soren’s arm and says, “Wait.”

(Soren listens.)

**part one: pawn**

The boys walk a little funny, but Claudia doesn't think much of it. It’s been a long few days (for Callum in particular) and Claudia has never seen their ‘questing’ behaviour before. How is she supposed to know if it’s different than usual? Callum is oddly quiet, though, in a way that Ezran is far more often, and Claudia wonders if he had a sort of disagreement with the elf. Rayla doesn’t do much to hide the fact she isn’t happy they’re coming along. She just strides ahead and announces she’s going to go foraging for berries.

It’s early to be thinking about dinner considering how late in the evening they’re leaving, but Claudia leaves it be. She snuck a few moon moths into a jar and there could be other valuable plants or animals around the Nexus.

When the elf comes back, she looks blankly perplexed at the sight of Claudia and Soren just standing there, berries cupped in one hand. Callum and Ezran still haven’t said a word, but Claudia is behind them so she can’t see their faces; siblings can communicate in just a look, after all. 

The elf produces a jar and puts the berries inside, looking a little unsure for the first time as she turns to lead the group again. “Guess we’ll just walk until it’s time to make camp, then,” she mutters.

So that’s what they do, even if Claudia’s back aches. She and Soren had set down a lot of their belongings in a nearby camp before coming to the Nexus with the sleep spell, but since this is going to be more long term than they thought, they’ve brought most of it with them in knapsacks, their horses and empty saddle bags left in the village below. The stem of a pot digs into her backside as they walk; she’ll have to remember to use the bedroll to cushion it next time.

The boys walk ahead too, still silent, and that’s when Claudia starts to think something might be wrong. She’s never heard Callum be so quiet for so long in her life. She almost wants to demand a response, but... _The long game_ , remember?

The moon is high by the time they reach a grove a decent amount of ways into the woods. The elf sets her things down, her brow furrowed and lips still pressed into a thin line. “We’ll camp here for the night,” she nearly grumbles.

“Great!” Soren says, unslinging his pack immediately and stretching. “My muscles need a rest, y’know, cause there’s so many of them—”

The elf rolls her eyes.

Claudia peers round to look at Callum, his expression glazed over. “Callum,” she says, reaching forward to poke him. “Are you sure you’re okay—”

“And you call yourself a _mage,”_ Rayla bites, sardonic, before gesturing upwards.

Claudia glares at her and then follows the line of direction. A bright light flashes and covers a moon before a form takes shape: the moon phoenix, flapping her wings and landing... with another Callum and Ezran disembarking from her saddled back with broad grins on their faces. Callum’s beaming, even as he dismounts with a little effort.

She leaps back from the one she’s standing next to on the ground, blinking; Soren lets out a yelp and then the two princes—the ones on the ground because there’s _four of them_ —turns into shimmering mist. An illusion.

A _trick._

“I knew we could trust you!” he exclaims, but a furrow is already forming in Claudia’s brow.

She shares a quick look at Soren, who still seems pretty dumbfounded, and then goes to wrap Callum up in a hug (that’ll distract him) and ruffle Ezran’s hair. “Of course you can, silly,” she says. “Why’d you think you couldn’t?”

She knows the answer already, of course.

“We had to make sure,” Ez says solemnly, the Dragon Prince in his arms. A disgruntled Bait rumbles in his backpack. “We couldn’t risk Zym.”

“So you tricked us?” Soren demands. Claudia can’t tell whether he’s pretending to be offended or genuinely is. “With illusions?”

“We had to make sure,” Callum reiterates, more apologetically. He looks at Claudia with big, hopeful dopey green eyes. “You understand, don’t you?”

He’d trusted the elf over her. He may not have wanted to go along with the plan, but he still did. Just how much does Rayla have his ear, have his trust? When had Claudia started to lose it? She hadn’t done anything! Soren had lied about her dad—and so had the elf—but _this_ is what happens after Claudia had told him the truth?

“Of course I do,” she says sweetly, ignoring how bitter the words taste in her mouth. “But now we can focus on helping you and then getting you home.”

“Yeah,” Callum says, his smile brightening again. “You’re the best, Claudia.” 

Rayla’s scoff is quiet. “Let’s just set up camp.” 

Ezran stands by the moon phoenix and pats the bridge of her break, his lips curled in a smile. “You did great Phoe-Phoe,” he says, and right—that’s the thing’s name. Claudia knows she could do so much with even a single stray feather. “Thank you. You can go back home now.” She can’t help but hope it’ll shed a few as it bows its head and departs, shimmering in the night sky.

The elf has gathered wood and begins work on starting a small fire. Zym trots around but stays close to Ez’s heels. Claudia wonders briefly what they’ve been doing for nights they hadn’t had a last meal from Lujanne to keep them full; it’s not like Callum or Ezran had any knowledge about how to survive in the wilderness.

Claudia unloads her pack, too, pulling out her and Soren’s bedrolls and seeing the princes have none of their own. Her nose wrinkles. “Have you just been sleeping on the ground?” she asks incredulously.

“Well, yeah,” Callum says, a tad nervous. “We packed like we were going to the Banther Lodge and didn’t even finish that, so... We’ve just been—what was it, Rayla? Roughing it?” His smile turns cheeky and Claudia can tell it’s an inside joke she’s not a part of.

The elf rolls her eyes and throws in another log. “ _You_ called it roughing it. I called it sucking it up.” 

The sharpness in her tone doesn’t diminish Callum’s smile. “Rayla’s been roughing it since she was a kid.” 

“Oh, like me,” Soren says, leaning back against his pack and folding his hands behind his head. “At camp.” 

“I don’t think Moonshadow elves have camp,” Ezran says.

“Then what do they have?” Soren says, perplexed and frowning. “Hey, uh—”

Rayla sits up and glares at him. “You seriously don’t remember my name, do you?”

“Uh, Luna?”

Rayla stands, her teeth gritted as she starts towards him, but Callum leaps up and places himself in between them with his back to her. “Hey, uh, it’s been a long day. Maybe we should just all focus on getting some rest. They say sleep helps you remember stuff. Right, _Rayla_?”

Rayla pinches the bridge of her nose and turns away. “Whatever.” 

Claudia watches her and then takes the bedrolls out with a full flourish. “Well you don’t have to suck it up any longer,” she says, grinning, and Callum easily returns it. “Ours are pretty big. Sor-bear and I can share one and you can share the other with Ez.” 

“Rayla can take my spot,” Ezran says. Rayla frowns, but it softens a little when Ezran looks at her. “I don’t mind,” he adds cheerfully. “Zym and Bait can keep me warm.” 

“I appreciate that, but you’re still sick,” Rayla says, sounding gentle for the first time since Claudia has known her.

“Not really,” says Ezran, even as he sniffles a little. When was he sick? “Sharing with Callum s’not so bad, even if he talks in his sleep.”

“Seriously, I’m fine,” Rayla says. “I’m already used to sleeping on the ground.”

“If you’re sure,” Ezran says slowly. 

“You could take my spot,” Callum offers, looking at her, and looking more relieved that regardless, he and Rayla won’t have to share.

“Don’t you dare start being chivalrous with me now,” Rayla snarks. “And an elf catching a human cold? How well do you think that would go?”

“Yeah,” Callum considers, his fingers curling around his chin. He still doesn’t sound bothered. “We definitely don’t want you getting sick. I just feel bad about your hand—” 

“My hand is _fine!”_ she finally snaps and Callum looks guilty. 

A weakness, of some kind? Claudia’s eyes dart to Rayla’s wrists. They both look fine, but when the time comes for Soren to eventually overpower her, maybe that could be useful. Rayla flexes the fingers on her left hand a little but there’s no apparent sign of actual weakness. Claudia mentally files it away regardless.

Rayla takes a deep breath, her voice much quieter. “Let’s just get some sleep.” She lays down on her side, her back towards the rest of them. “Night.”

Callum and Ezran exchange a look before Callum takes the bedroll from Claudia with unhappy eyes. Zym squeezes into the bedroll, nestled in Ezran’s arms, and Bait curls up on top near his feet. Callum keeps his little brother near the curve of the blanket, completely tucked in with his own back facing the cold, more open side.

Claudia only has to elbow Soren a little before they’re settled in back to back like when they were kids, going camping with Mom and Dad. 

It’s in the quiet of the night that Claudia thinks about how lucky she is. If they’d attacked the boys when they’d been planning to, they could’ve just captured the illusions _and_ revealed themselves, losing the trust they still had. The elf would be a pain in the ass—there was so much Claudia didn’t know—but they could deal with her in time. They just had to be patient. Get more details.

It’s a few hours later, maybe, when Claudia’s eyes flutter open. The boys had settled on the other side of the campfire, Rayla beyond that. The charred fire sits between them and she hears talking amid the buzz of the night.

“—just because you trust them doesn’t mean _I_ have to,” comes Rayla’s voice in a furious whisper. “You’re not going to change my mind.”

“I’m not trying to,” Callum says, a little less adept at whispering, but Ezran and Soren sleep soundlessly beside them. “I just—after Dad and Lord Viren, you, Ez, and Soren and Claudia are the only family I have left. It’s just hard to know half of you hates the other half—discounting Ez.” 

There’s a brief pause. Something gnaws at Claudia’s stomach. _Family?_ One week in and an _elf_ is _family,_ on the same level as his brother? On the same level as hers and herself, who grew up with him for nine whole years? Maybe Soren’s moonshadow madness theory wasn’t too far off the mark after all, because something is very, very wrong here, and it’s far worse than Claudia thought.

“They still tried to kill me.”

It sounds like Callum’s chuckling. “Hey, you tried to kill me, too.”

Rayla’s tone lightens. “Yeah, for like thirty minutes, and only once. Claudia is up to two.” 

“And it won’t get any higher than that. I promise.”

Technically, he’s right. When the time comes to kill her, Soren will do the job, Claudia is sure.

Rayla’s groan is soft. “Ugh, fine. I can try an’ hate ‘em more _quietly._ Better?”

“A little,” he says cheerfully. “And I’ll try and have them treat you better too.” 

“Ugh, good luck.”

Claudia shifts a little in her sleeping bag, to get a look. Ezran always slumps over in his sleep, so she can see the back of Callum’s head and a bit of his scarf, and then a sliver of Rayla over his shoulder. She’s lying closer to him than she had been when Claudia had gone to sleep, barely an arm’s length away.

Callum sounds amused again. “Do you think Soren thinks _all_ Moonshadow elves have moon related names?”

Rayla cracks a grin. “Probably. He probably thinks the man in the moon is cheese, too.”

Callum laughs softly. “I never should’ve told you those human tales, either.”

“Hmm.” There’s warmth and fondness in the elf’s violet eyes, and… maybe something else, even if Claudia can’t recognize it, as they glance down from Callum’s face for a moment. “You should really try and get some sleep. You had a long night last night.”

The date. Harrow.

“So did you.” He pauses. “You’re sure you’re not cold?"

“Callum, we’ve walked through ice and snow. I’m fine. My training’s prepped me for worse.”

“Still.” Claudia watches as he unravels his scarf from his neck, then sheds his jacket, reaching over from where he’s lying on his side and draping them around the elf’s shoulders. “Just for tonight?”

“Now you’ll be cold.”

“I have my bedroll. And Bait. Glow toads are warm, y’know.”

Rayla rolls her eyes but she’s smiling, bunching the scarf up as a little pillow and pulling the jacket up her shoulder. “Thank you.” 

“Anytime. Sleep well, Rayla.”

“You too, Callum.”

Claudia’s heart hammers hard in her chest as she hears them drift off, turning over onto her back to look up at the night sky. It’s full with the half moon and billions of stars.

This was going to be harder than she’d thought.

* * *

Callum is the first one up in the morning. It’s something he’s grown used to, the past few days. Ez has always been lazy like a little kid and sleep is the one thing Rayla isn’t an elven assassin about, even if she is a light sleeper. It’s often the only time he has in the day to do some sketching, so Callum dislodges himself from Ezran’s side and goes to sit by the nearest tree.

He’s never seen Rayla in anything other than her assassin garb before, and she’s not really _wearing_ his scarf and coat, but it might be nice to draw her like this anyway. She’s turned towards him a little in her sleep and her hair is splayed out on the pillow she’s made of his scarf, her mouth slightly ajar. Maybe she’s drooled a little on his scarf, but he doesn’t mind. She looks… cozy. More peaceful than she has in most of their journey, with her hand hurting, or being restless at the Nexus after the first two days.

It’s a nice change of pace, and it isn’t lost on him that Claudia and Soren have _a lot_ more bending to do when it comes to meeting her in the middle. He sighs a little to himself, glancing briefly at them before looking away; it feels weird to look at Claudia while she’s sleeping.

He finishes sketching the outline of Rayla’s form curled up under his jacket before anyone else begins to rouse. His charcoal pencil is slotted between the pages before he folds the sketchbook up and stands, brushing the dirt off his pants.

Rayla yawns and runs a hand through her mussed hair before rising. “Alright. Breakfast on the go today—we got a lot of time to make up for.”

She had wanted to leave the Moon Nexus a whole two days prior to when they actually had, after all.

“Hold on.” Claudia cocks an eyebrow, her and Soren on their feet. He’s rolling up their bedroll. “Who made you the boss?” she asks and Callum winces.

“Yes, because two princes know how to navigate a forest,” Rayla says, easily and annoyed.

“Rayla knows the best terrain,” Ez pipes up, tucking away his bedroll in Callum’s backpack. Zym curls up in his.

“And the fastest route to Xadia,” Callum says. Rayla isn’t the _boss_ —none of them are—but she does know the most about this sort of thing and Claudia’s tone is unfair.

“I’ve been to Xadia loads of times,” Claudia says smartly, raising her head.

Rayla’s eyes narrow. “Yes, for _Dark Magic_. And we’re not going through the Breach, anyway.”

“Then what way _are_ we crossing into Xadia?” Claudia crosses her arms over her chest.

“Like I’d tell you.”

Claudia frowns, confused. “But you’ll have to tell us _eventually_ , when we get there.”

“Yes, unless you’ve betrayed us by that point or have gotten tragically eaten by a Banther or something, what a shame—”

Callum is tired as he grabs her arm. “Rayla.”

Her eyes meet his and he knows she’s remembering what she’d said last night. Hate them a little more quietly. “It’s a Moonshadow secret,” she says, sighing. He lets go. “I’m not telling _any_ of you till we get there. They’ll kill me if they found out I told humans about it.” 

Her tone is so blasé Callum can’t tell if she’s being hyperbolic or not. But if the Moonshadow binding is the punishment for just failing a mission, then he doesn’t want to think about what the punishment for actively going _against_ her mission would be—or revealing Moonshadow secrets.

“Let’s just get moving,” Callum says. “Rayla’s the best navigator. We’re just gonna follow her.”

Claudia still doesn’t look pleased, but she and Soren follow without another disruption. It’s a little stilted and uncomfortable, but it’s not _as_ bad. Ezran fills most of the silence, talking about birds and Phoe-Phoe as Rayla leads them deeper into the woods, over roots and rocks with a stream faintly burbling off to the left in his ears.

It doesn’t take too long before Soren starts whining, though. “We’ve been walking for _hours_.”

“We’ve been walking for three,” Rayla says airily. 

“We usually walk four before having a break,” Ezran explains cheerfully.

“You make them walk that long without a break?” Claudia says, her tone sharp. “They’re not trained for that—”

“It’s not that bad,” Callum cuts in. “And we have to get Zym to Xadia as fast we can.”

“Four hours is what _seven year olds_ are taught to walk,” Rayla says, striding ahead without looking back. Callum is walking in between his friends with her at the front, with Claudia, Ez, and Soren walking behind him. Callum weighs jogging to catch up with Rayla but ultimately stays where he is; it’s a good vantage point for talking with everyone. “And we need to keep moving so the tracker doesn’t catch up with us.”

“Tracker?” Claudia says, blinking.

“A man Aunt Amaya sent after us,” Callum says. “They think Rayla kidnapped us—which is uh, _my_ fault actually, this time—”

“He’s attacked us once before,” Rayla says, her eyes hard as she looks at him; they’re past that in more ways than one and he knows he’s babbling. “I had Lujanne make more solid illusions to lead him in the opposite direction. It should hold for a day or two.” She looks back ahead once again. “The more distance we can get in the meantime, the better.”

“I too would like to go a day without getting attacked,” Callum says quietly and he thinks Rayla might smile a little up front. 

“You haven’t been hurt, have you?” Claudia says, coming up to his side. One of her hands moves to his back, the other in his hair. His whole body is electrified, her concerned face close to his. 

“I’m okay!” he says quickly, moving away from her before he can stop himself. “We’re both okay, me and Ez.” He can still feel the phantom warmth of her hand on his back. “Rayla’s done a really good job at protecting us.” 

“Oh.” Claudia’s lips turn down a little. 

“And she saved Bait!” Ezran says, holding the glow toad up. “Otherwise he would’ve gotten eaten by a giant fish.” 

“Did anyone else almost get eaten? Soren asks slowly.

Callum blinks. “Uh, no one besides Rayla. I got rid of the fish by using fulminus,” he remembers, excited for a moment, before... The primal stone is still broken, and he wasn’t born with a connection.

“Yes, yes,” Rayla says without looking around and waving her hand, her tone dry. “You were very smart and brave, can we move on now?” Her tone is flippant but he can’t help but smile a little at the compliment regardless. Warmth spreads in his chest because he knows she means it.

It’s nice to know that after yesterday, there are finally no secrets between them. 

Claudia stays close to his side, still frowning. “Callum’s always been smart and brave,” she says, but it catches him off guard instead of filling him with warm fuzzies. Why does it sound like another argument is on the way?

“Glad to know you think so, too,” Rayla replies, not rising to the bait.

Soren laughs and a sinking feeling builds, too. “The step prince, brave? Smart, maybe, but he can barely hold a sword, how could he be useful in a fight—”

Callum presses his lips together. Soren isn’t usually so blatantly _mean_ , but maybe he’s resentful that he had to come ‘rescue’ them in the first place, being taken away from the Crownguard when the king’s just died. Maybe he’s just having an extra bad day and this is the outlet. It wouldn’t be the first time.

Rayla whirls around so fast Callum barely has time to take in her slanted expression before she’s striding past him. He’s never seen her look so pissed. “‘Step prince’?” she repeats, spitting. “What the hell does _that_ mean?”

“You know,” Soren begins, though he’s already backing away a little and looking a bit awkward. “He’s not a _real_ prince, cause he’s just the king’s stepson—”

Callum watches Rayla’s hands clench into fists and for a moment he’s just worried that this will turn into a real fight, but instead she says, “Call him that again and I’m leaving you out here.”

Soren splutters. “W-what?”

“You can’t just—” Claudia starts, but Rayla levels a glare at her too.

“Shut it,” she says, before turning back to Soren. “Callum’s gotten us out of a million situations you would shit yourself just imagining. He _is_ the king’s son, _I don’t care_ if it’s not by blood, and even if he wasn’t, he’s still always going to be more of a prince than you’ll ever be because he’s not a total shithead like you.” 

“Rayla,” Callum begins, but she holds up a hand, still glaring Soren down.

“ _Never_ call him that again. You understand?”

“Fine!” Soren says, throwing up his hands. “Jeez.”

She lets out another huff before turning away. “And you,” she says to Claudia as she passes her, without stopping or looking back. “You should be ashamed you let him say it for so long. Where I come from, we call that _bullying_ —or at least being a bystander.”

“I—I’m not a bystander,” Claudia says, eyebrows shooting up. “It was funny when we were kids—Callum never said it bothered him—”

Her frown deepens when she looks back. “He shouldn’t have had to. You made fun of him for having a new family. Why in the Moon’s name would that ever be funny?”

Callum’s throat is tight. He places a hand on Rayla’s arm. “Hey. It’s okay.”

“But it’s not!” she says, whirling around to face him, her expression much softer. “It’s _not_ okay. I was adopted around the age you went to live in the castle and you would _never_ say they’re not my real parents. Not even as a joke.”

“I know,” Callum says gently. She’s only mentioned her adoptive family once, but never their names. He glances briefly back at Soren and Claudia, but somehow their reaction doesn’t really matter right now, as he looks back at Rayla, struck by the way her eyes shine. “But you can’t fight all my battles for me, okay? I’m...” Gods, his stepdad is dead. “I’m doing fine about my stepdad, now.”

Rayla’s eyes linger on him a little longer. “Okay,” she says finally. The letter burns a hole in his backpack. “If you’re sure.”

“I am.” He squeezes her arm and lets go. “Let’s just keep moving. One more hour, right?”

He walks beside her up front, this time.

* * *

The elf—Rayla—doesn’t talk to anyone but Callum and Ezran (and Bait and Zym) for the rest of the day. So, really, it’s just Soren and Claudia she doesn’t talk to. Soren’s kind of glad for it. He hadn’t been scared of the adult assassins with their swords, much less of a girl a few years younger than him—but she is _scary_ when she’s mad.

Claudia’s a little quiet, too—not as much as the elf girl, but she only gives short answers the rest of the way, and it’s weird. Ezran walks ahead in between Callum and Rayla, and chats easily, Callum and Rayla occasionally chiming in. Soren had known it’d be awkward to have to continue pretending to go along with everything when Claudia had suggested they play it out a little longer, but this is just weird. When had the princes gotten so close with Rayla that he and Claudia were the ones trailing on the outside?

Whatever. It shouldn’t be too much longer before he can kill her... and the boys.

They walk for another four hours after the first break and Soren misses his horse. Two hours in, his feet start to hurt even more, and he wonders how Claudia isn’t more bothered by just how far away they’re getting. She thinks they have to bring the boys home, after all.

Then Rayla pulls a bottle full of something red out of her pocket and Soren’s ears ring. “Blood!” he exclaims, and everyone swivels to look at him with expressions of varying confusion or disdain. “Ew gross, you drink _blood_?!” 

Rayla shoots a very done look at Callum. “I can now see that your reaction was better.” 

Callum gives her an apologetic and awkward smile before turning back to Soren. “It’s Moonberry juice,” he says. “ _Not_ blood. Although I made that mistake too, at first.”

“But it’s red,” says Soren, shoulders still raised.

“So are moonberries.”

“They taste good,” Ezran says. “So does Moonberry juice.” He looks up at Rayla hopefully, who softens as she passes Ezran the bottle. He only takes a few sips. “And it’s really good for you!” he adds as he wipes the red off his mouth. 

“Most fruit and veggies you’ve eaten in a while,” Callum says. They’ve all seen Ez at dinner, putting up a fuss about his peas.

“Oh, I can believe that,” Rayla says, her lips curling as they share a smile. She pokes Ezran in the side with one of her weird four fingers. “Mister Impossible to Forage For."

Ezran giggles and swats her hand away, and it occurs to Soren that this is an assassin and her former target, acting the way he and Claudia do. He pushes that thought away; there’s been a lot of uncomfortable thoughts, lately.

“Do you want some?” Ezran asks, before turning back to Rayla. “If it’s okay?”

Rayla frowns a little. “I guess we can’t let them starve,” she grumbles.

“We’re alright,” Claudia says quickly, her eyes stony. “We can forage on our own and we have leftover rations, anyway.”

“Fine,” Rayla says just as quickly, her eyes just as hard. Ezran falters a little as he passes the bottle to Rayla, who softens when she hands it over to Callum. He takes a few sips before she finally takes some for herself. Rayla bottles the rest up for later and stows it somewhere away in her vest.

“You’re lucky you had time to pack,” Callum says. Soren doesn’t know why he’s trying.

“Our Dad wanted to make sure we were prepared for anything,” Claudia says more brightly.

Callum freezes. “Lord Viren sent you here?” One of his hands creeps towards his throat, encircling it slightly. It yanks Soren right back to the night on the tower.

 _But he’s the Prince_ — _Do it_.

“Yeah,” Claudia says, a bit uncertain even if her smile is still bright. “Dad wants to make sure you get home safely, duh.” 

Callum turns away. “I have a hard time believing _that_.” 

“What makes you say that?”

Then Rayla throws an arm out over his chest. “Quiet.” They both exchange a glance. 

“What do you mean quiet?” Claudia demands in a whisper and Rayla shushes her.

Then the elf reaches behind her vest and flicks out one blade. “Someone’s up ahead, maybe ten feet away. I’m going to go check it out.”

“Rayla,” Callum begins, but she stops him with her free hand.

“ _Stay here._ ” He nods, and then the elf disappears into the trees, leaping up to the branches.

It’s the first time Rayla has left them alone with the princes and Soren looks at Claudia. Shouldn’t they just take them now? They’ve still lost so much ground and he’s tired. But, then again, they haven’t learned anything useful about elves or Xadia. 

“So, uh,” Soren clears his throat. It’s the first time he’s really spoken since the fight. “You guys are pretty good friends with Rayla, then.”

“I don’t really think we should be talking,” Ezran whispers.

Callum keeps his voice low. “Yeah, she’s uh, pretty protective.” He rubs the back of his neck. “As you... now know. But she’s really kind and fun once you get to know her and she lets you in a little bit.” 

“Yeah, she seems real kind and fun,” Claudia mumbles.

“She is,” Callum asserts, even in a whisper. “You just got off on the wrong foot, but I really think—” There’s a rustle from within the thicket of trees and Callum stops, looking up. Then, a shout, too quick to tell whether it’s Rayla’s or not. “Ez, stay here.”

“But Callum—”

“I’m just gonna see if I can tell what’s going on.” His expression is sour. He used to be able to do magic, Soren remembers. “I’m not gonna get involved.” 

He doesn’t even have to leave, as Rayla tumbles out of the trees a moment later. “Hunters,” she says without missing a beat. She straightens up, dusting some dirt off her pants. “I took care of it. They shouldn’t wake up for a while.”

“A while?” Claudia asks. Rayla frowns.

“They’re fine,” she says testily. “Just knocked out.”

“So we’re clear to go?” Callum asks before another fight can happen. 

“Yeah,” Rayla replies. Her blade is still clean as she folds it up and stows it away. “We’ll just have to walk around them and maybe walk a little longer before our break.”

Callum looks forward. “We’re not too far from another mountain range. We could maybe make it to the base and look for some caves for the night?”

“If we put in another hour, maybe.”

They both look to Ezran, and it’s Callum that asks, “Think you can do it?”

“I can do it,” he says. “I just might not be able to hold Bait and Zym too.”

“One of us can take each of ‘em,” Rayla says. “You just focus on you, alright?”

Ezran smiles. “Okay. I’ll let you know when I need you to take them.” 

Rayla ruffles his hair and then turns to the front. “Thanks, Ez.” 

When Soren glances at Claudia, he finds her concerned eyes already staring at him. “What?”

“Nothing,” she mutters, but he feels like saying _I told you so_ , if he could. Punching things is always better than the long game or talking, but they’re here now, aren’t they? They follow the other three in silence, a strand of Claudia’s hair drooping in front of her face. She doesn’t bother to tuck it back.

Soren had expected Rayla to be another assassin, not another obstacle.

He’s just glad he doesn’t have to worry about the boys’ forgiveness once he kills her.

* * *

They’re in the middle of setting up camp hours later when the next issue presents itself to Rayla: she has to go foraging, but there is no way in hell she’s leaving the boys _alone_ with Soren and Claudia. Just once a little while away earlier is one thing. For an extended period of time is another. Especially when she still doesn’t trust Soren as far as she can throw him, and Claudia has been challenging her at every turn.

There are three princes in her charge and it’s Rayla’s job to keep them all safe.

“Guess it’s foraging time?” Callum says, looking at her expectantly once the fire is assembled but not lit; it’s not dark out yet enough for it.

“Looks like it,” she grumbles. Could she bring one of the boys with her, and if so, which one? She’s tempted to pick Ezran just because of how Soren had been with him at the Nexus, but it would also be nice to have a moment alone with Callum. To talk about their next steps for the mission, of course.

“No need,” says Claudia with a smug smile. “I can go foraging. I’m really familiar with Katolian flora.”

“For food, and not Dark Magic?” Rayla clarifies.

Claudia frowns a little. “I cooked at the Nexus, didn’t I?”

“Yes, with a stove and actual ingredients and rations, not just whatever you’ve been able to find.”

“We have a pan we can use.”

“Look,” says Callum, stepping in between them with his hands raised. “I can go with Claudia, make sure she’s getting stuff similar to what you would bring back, alright? We can... talk, maybe get some things sorted out..” A faint flush colours his cheeks and it makes her stomach squirm, even if Rayla squashes it down. “About the mission.”

Claudia smiles broadly at him. “That sounds like a great idea, Callum.”

Her jaw tightens. “Fine. Ez, you’re with me.”

Ezran gets onto his feet, Zym trailing at his heels. 

“What am I supposed to do?” Soren asks, indignant.

“Look after Bait,” Ezran says cheerfully.

“And camp,” Rayla adds, her voice stern. Soren pouts and it makes him look extra dumb, but no one pays him any mind. She watches Callum and Claudia leave through one area of the thicket and tries to ignore the way it makes her stomach churn as she guides Ezran out towards a different direction.

“Come on, Zym,” he says to the baby dragon. “You can practice trying to fly again.”

“Over here,” Rayla says, guiding them over to an area of the woods where the trees cluster closer together. She figures the moisture will probably help some of the undergrowth around the area. 

They’ve found a good amount of acorns, berries, and mushrooms. Ezran is particularly proud of his find and Rayla makes sure she can always hear him, even as the drifts further away. She’s a few tree branches up and can spy him in the underbrush when she hears faint voices drifting through the leaves on the other side of their cluster.

“...timing’s a little off,” she hears, realizing quickly that it’s Callum’s voice. “I just, I dunno—we never really got to talk too much about everything at the Nexus.”

“Yeah,” Claudia agrees. It’s weird to not hear her being snarky of some kind. “A lot happened.”

“And, uh, almost happened,” Callum ventures. “About the kiss—”

Rayla’s stomach plummets. And then she immediately curses herself for it. She knew they’d gone on a date—she’d helped keep Callum calm beforehand, helped him get ready with his hair. And who cares if they kissed?

“It just didn’t feel right,” Claudia says slowly. “To go through with it. With… everything.”

“Right. Yeah, of course.” It’s a little painful to hear Callum tripping over himself. Claudia never seems to try and steady him either. “I just—it almost happened? And I kinda wanna know what—what it could mean?”

Claudia sounds confident, maybe even flirty. Rayla should leave right now. “What do you _want_ it to mean?”

“I, uh—” Callum stammers. Rayla doesn’t know how Claudia can just let him babble so much when he’s clearly nervous. “I thought it was pretty obvious?” he manages eventually.

“What was obvious?” Claudia asks, casual. It almost sounds like she’s toying with him and it grates under Rayla’s skin.

“Well I kinda thought—you called it a date, so uh, that you might feel the same way about me that I feel about you?”

“You’re… a really sweet guy, Callum,” Claudia begins, and Rayla finds herself dreading what could come next either way. There’s a long pause that’s broken by an exclamation of, “Oh, are these the moonberries?”

Callum, to his credit, doesn’t sound incredibly let down. “Yeah, could be. Could be death berries—they look the exact same under sunlight. We could take some and ask Rayla when we all get back.”

“Right.” There’s another silence, but Rayla can picture the look twisting Claudia’s face. “You two made up, then? Even though she didn’t tell you about...” Claudia lowers her voice further and Rayla has to strain her ears. “The king?” 

“Well,” Callum says slowly, “I get why she didn’t say anything. She really cares about us. Hurting someone you care about is hard; I couldn’t tell Ez. There wasn’t really anything to forgive in the first place.” 

“I just thought it was interesting,” Claudia says, with feigned casualty that Rayla wonders if Callum can pick up on. “Since you went with her illusion plan.” 

“She was worried,” he says. “She’s already sacrificed a lot for this mission.”

“And you… trusted her instinct?”

He’s quiet for a moment. “She just had a lot more to lose, if I was wrong,” he says, careful. “She’s been through a lot already and—I dunno. I just wanted to make her feel safe.” 

Something in Rayla’s chest softens a little. She’d been so relieved he’d agreed to it, however reluctantly. It hadn’t quite brought the closure she’d been hoping for, but... Callum trusts her. That’s what really matters.

Claudia’s voice is dry. “After she attacked your castle?”

His own hardens, however slightly. “We’re past that. She’s my friend, now.” 

“I just don’t want you to get hurt.”

“She would never hurt me. Or Ez.” Rayla hears him sigh before he says, “We should probably get back. Knowing Rayla, she’s probably been done for a while by now.”

Rayla finally manages to will her feet to move. She finds Ezran by some moss covered mushrooms and they head back to camp, getting there a few minutes before Callum and Claudia return. She’s not surprised that she picked the better foraging spot and Claudia had to work her way to it, but there’s a slight satisfaction in seeing just how much more her and Ez have collected.

Soren looks bored, but springs up at the sight of his sister to inspect her findings. “Ooh, berries.” He picks one up and goes to pop it into his mouth.

Rayla lunges over and slaps it out of his hand just in time. “Are you an _idiot_ , those could be death berries!” she scolds. “Just one would kill you in seconds.”

Soren freezes before wiping his fingers off on his trousers. “Death berries?” he gulps. Everyone is looking at him wide eyed. 

She exhales. “We have to wait till they’re under moonlight to tell. Don’t eat any of ‘em until then.” 

Claudia’s hand is stiff as she produces them from her pockets. “What do we do with them till then?”

Rayla resists the urge to roll her eyes as she grabs her small bottle and fills it the rest of the way. Every berry except for a few fits inside. “Humans, honestly. How you’ve all stayed alive this long is beyond me.”

“Thank you, Rayla,” Ezran says in an almost sing-song type of voice that Callum echoes, and she grumbles only a little as she puts her bottle away again.

“Yeah, yeah.” Her violet eyes turn to Claudia. “You said you have a pan?”

They can cook some acorns and mushrooms or something, then try some more Moonberry juice later with whatever ones aren’t death berries. She sets the pan over a fire Soren’s already built and pokes at the mushrooms with a stick, waiting for them to soften. 

“Can I help?” Callum asks, crouching beside her.

She knows he knows how to bake—but cooking is a little different. “Just take ‘em off when the edges of the mushrooms start getting brown.” He takes the pan handle from her, his fingers briefly brushing hers, and she forces herself to ignore the warmth in her face. 

His flusteredness from Claudia must be rubbing off on her, or something. Now is _not_ the time for a crush; Rayla had begun to think she didn’t get those, the past few years. She’s probably just getting the warmth in her chest whenever Callum looks at her mixed up for something it’s not. 

They’re friends, and maybe she’s gotten too used to his company, but it’s fine. It’s nothing. 

He likes Claudia, anyway. 

He smiles at her again when she looks up to see how he’s doing with the mushrooms and she smiles back because why wouldn’t she? He’s her friend.

And maybe it isn’t nothing, but she can’t deal with it right now.

* * *

Having Soren and Claudia around is fun, Ezran thinks, even if he wishes that there wasn’t so much fighting. And he’d thought Callum and Rayla had been bad those first couple of days. Now, they seem to pale in comparison, cause half the time when they’d disagreed, one of them had been amused by it at least, and the fights had been punctuated by long moments of happiness and laughter in between.

That’s not the case with Rayla and Soren and Claudia. Even when there’s silence, things are... tense, and Ez doesn’t like it. It might be mean, but part of him wishes Soren and Claudia had just gone home. Things ironically seemed easier when it was just the three of them.

Zym alternates between perching on Ezran’s shoulder or in his hair and Bait stays in his arms. At least he has the two of them for good conversation and company. Right now, Ezran is just wondering how long it’s going to take Rayla to snap again, if Callum and Claudia keep talking about primal magic, the latter slyly sliding the conversation back to Dark Magic time and time again.

“—I’m still jealous you got to have the primal stone for longer,” Callum teases goodnaturedly.

“Oh yeah, my Dad finds Dark Magic more useful overall, but primal magic can be good too,” Claudia says proudly. “He’s had it for a while.” 

“Wonder where he got _that_ from,” Rayla mutters under her breath. Ezran and Zym exchange a grimace.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Claudia says and Ezran can see Callum looks about as pleased as he feels.

“We’re only here ‘cause your dad _stole_ the Egg of the Dragon Prince,” Rayla says with an eyeroll. “And who do you think made primal stones in the first place? You think I didn’t see the _elf horns_ in your dad’s creepy dungeon?” 

Claudia opens and then shuts her mouth a few times and it looks like the first point Rayla has really scored. What can she say to that, after all?

“The dungeon was creepy,” Ez agrees. “The other tunnels under the castle are a lot cooler.” 

“They’re not that bad,” Claudia tries, but there’s no real conviction in her voice. Then, maybe for something to say, she scrounges up, “Your horns aren’t that pretty, anyway.”

Rayla snorts. “Ah yes, I became an assassin for looks. I don’t care if I’m ugly.”

“What?” Callum says, like it’s the dumbest idea in the world. “You’re not ugly at all. You’re really pretty.” 

Ezran watches it in slow motion, as both Claudia and Rayla freeze; a scowl overtakes Claudia’s face and a flush overtakes Rayla’s. “Like I said, it doesn’t matter,” Rayla says quickly, but she doesn’t seem quite as annoyed now. “But, uh—thanks.” She turns just as quickly to the front, missing the glare Claudia shoots at the back of her head. Callum seems just as oblivious, keeping pace with Rayla this time. 

They’re passing through the latest mountain range this time, but it doesn’t look like they’re too far from a town. Another day’s walk at most.

“Can we go, please?” Callum asks after a stretch. “Soren and Claudia actually have money. We could get you a bedroll and some new boots for Ez, and—”

“Don’t worry about me,” says Rayla. Her cheeks still look a little pink from the side. “But boots for Ez—” His are still waterlogged. “And more rations sounds like a good idea.” 

“Okay. Um—” Callum glances back at Claudia and Soren for a moment before looking back at Rayla. “Maybe I’ll go with them and you stay back at camp with Ez?”

“What? We got through that other town just fine.”

“Rayla.”

“I won’t have any reason to take my gloves off this time. And the point is to go through quickly, y’know. It kinda defeats the purpose if you have to double back for me and Ez, or wait for us to successfully walk around it.” 

Ez clambers up to her other side. “Does this mean more Human Rayla?” he says excitedly. They could do with a good laugh.

Rayla gives him a fond look. “It might, wee one.”

“Yes!” Ezran nearly turned to Soren and Claudia to tell them how much they’ll love Human Rayla, when he remembers how terribly they get along. But maybe it’ll cheer them up? He looks at Zym instead, who’s wagging his tail, and scoops the baby dragon up. “Can we all go into town together Callum?” He puts on his best pleading eyes. “ _Please?_ ”

“Please?” Rayla chimes in.

Callum does his best not to look at Ezran, but Ez doesn’t think looking at Rayla’s sweet smile and eyes is much better. He sighs. “Fine, when we reach the town tomorrow, we’ll all go together.” He grabs Rayla’s wrist. “But you are wearing gloves and the cloak the _entire_ time.” 

“Alright, Your Highness,” Rayla teases, wriggling her wrist out of his grasp and poking him in the side with her smallest finger. Ezran giggles when Callum just looks utterly done with both of them. 

Ez looks behind his brother and gives Rayla a high four behind Callum’s back.

Maybe this will be just the thing they need.

(Or not.)


	2. rook

The town isn’t unlike Ellis’, really, but a bit bigger. Less cold too with more vendors and food, tucked away in a sweet spot beyond the small mountain pass. They’d split the money Claudia and Soren brought before splitting up into groups, and Callum secretly thinks it might be for the best. Claudia and Soren are in town looking for rations while he, Ezran, and Rayla are on the search for boots and other supplies. (He knows Rayla insists that she’s fine sleeping on the ground, but he’s tempted to get her an extra bedroll anyway. Just in case. His scarf and jacket won’t do forever, after all.)

Ezran tugs on Callum’s hand and points at a vendor selling hot chocolate and sweets. “Can I go get a biscuit? Please? I haven’t had anything sweet in so long—”

The line is a little long, but—“Ugh, fine.” Callum digs a few coins out of his pocket. “But Rayla and I are gonna keep walking, alright? There’s a cobbler’s place down the street. You’ll have to catch up.” 

Ezran gives him a quick but tight hug. “Thank you!” he says, before rushing into line, only pausing to make sure Zym is still securely hidden in his knapsack. Callum lets a smile slip before catching up with Rayla. 

“You have a good idea of his shoe size?” Rayla asks. They pass a few vendor stands on the way.

“Yeah. He shouldn’t be long anyway, we can just pick out a couple and then have him try them on.”

Rayla nudges him in the shoulder. “How are you doing?” she says, more seriously. “With having to keep the secret?”

Callum ducks his head around to make sure there’s no way Ez can hear them. “It makes me feel pretty crappy, but... I dunno. Manageable. Why?”

“It was just... really hard for me to keep it from  _ you _ ,” Rayla says, pressing her lips together. They’re a little chapped from the wind. “Somehow, Ez is easier. I don’t know why. Maybe ‘cause he’s younger?”

“Maybe,” Callum considers, and then, miraculously, grins. Rayla always seems to pull one out of him. “Or maybe I’m just different,” he teases. Rayla’s cheeks turn a pretty pink as she shoves his arm lightly.

“Yeah, more  _ annoying, _ more like it,” she mumbles, but she’s smiling a little. “And here I was, about to tell you that you’re a really good big brother.” 

Callum’s grin softens. “Thanks.” He glances back to check that Ez is one his way, a biscuit in his mouth, before he says, “You’re a pretty good big sister, too, with him.” They mesh a lot better than Ezran and Claudia—or at the very least, maybe, Rayla has put in more of a concentrated effort. Claudia was usually more busy with her studies, understandably. 

“She sure is!” Ezran says, bursting in between them. “I told you it’d be quick!”

Rayla smiles. “Yeah, but you know him, Mister Cynic.” She swipes the tail end of Ezran’s biscuit and pops it into her mouth. “And thanks, Ez, for the compliment.” 

“You’re welcome.” He doesn’t seem bothered by losing a bite. He breaks off a piece and tosses it into his knapsack, where it’s most likely being immediately devoured by a baby dragon. “If Rayla’s my sister, does that mean she’s your sister too, Callum?”

Callum pauses for a moment. “What?  _ No. _ ”

“Why not?”

Because it’s  _ weird _ , he wants to say, but he doesn’t want to hurt Rayla’s feelings. The very concept makes him feel itchy all over, cause she’s not  _ anything _ like a sister to him, or at least what he would imagine a sister to be like. “It’s just different,” Callum shrugs, not courageous enough to look over and see Rayla’s face. 

“Yeah,” she coughs. “Callum is  _ not  _ my brother.” Maybe it’s as weird an idea for her as it is for him, and a bit of relief rushes through him.

“Oh,” Ezran says. 

“But we’re still friends,” Callum says quickly. “People can be good friends without being like siblings.”

“Yeah,” Rayla says, her tone unreadable. “And we  _ are _ good friends, just in a different way.”

“Mmhm,” Callum hums, and Ez seems content to drop it at last, thank the Gods.

“There’s the cobbler,” Ez says, pointing ahead, and Callum catches Rayla’s eye over his head. She looks similarly thrown  _ and _ relieved.

“Go tell him your size and pick out whatever’s comfortable,” Callum says. “We’ll bargain with him over it later.” Ezran heads in through the open entryway and Callum for a moment is unsure whether or not to take Rayla’s gloved hand. Why would he, after all, even if he kind of wants to?

“You any good at haggling?” Rayla asks, saving him from having to make a decision.

“Probably not. You?”   


“Nah. We’ll just wing it, then?”

“Isn’t that what we’re already doing?”

Rayla ducks her head with a quiet laugh and it makes his chest feel warm. “Come on, smart prince. Let’s get your brother some shoes.”

* * *

Soren doesn’t say it, but Claudia can tell he’s still a bit shaken from the berry thing yesterday. It had rattled her too. She can’t stand the elf and everything would be easier with her  _ gone, _ but the fact remains that Rayla saved Soren’s life and if they didn’t have her, they could’ve all eaten the berries. 

Nor is Rayla exactly  _ wrong _ that they’re untrustworthy. 

“Soren,” Claudia says, as they finish collecting some bread, her voice low, “the other assassins were awful, right?”

“Yeah,” Soren says. “They killed the king. And some of the guards. I’ve never seen anyone fight like them before. Why’re you asking? Rayla’s pretty awful too.” 

“But the princes like her.”  _ Callum _ likes her, she thinks with a faint scowl. “And… who knows what would’ve happened if we’d all eaten those berries. Why would she stop you from eating them if...”

If she didn’t also care about the boys. Rayla had been pissed about Soren’s lie at the Nexus— _ she’s not into you, she’s onto you _ —but Claudia had chalked it up to being angry about a possible disruption of their mission. Now, though, maybe genuine care was behind it, too.

“Well… she’s still mean,” Soren says weakly, and Claudia can’t disagree. But  _ mean _ is different from  _ bad _ in some cases and she isn’t sure if this is one of them. Callum had called her a  _ good _ elf.

She thinks about the softness in the elf’s eyes when she looks at the princes. The gentle teasing with Ezran, the fierce protectiveness (overkill, honestly) on behalf of Callum.

Claudia doesn’t have a clue of what happened after Callum left her chained up in the dungeons, really. 

Maybe it’s time to ask.

So Claudia does, clearing her throat around the campfire that night. “What did happen, on the night of the attack?”

“Oh!” Callum says, straightening up. He’s sitting next to Rayla (because of course he is) and she looks up too with sharp eyes. “What do you mean?”

“Well, when I found you, you’d already found the egg. So like, what happened before and after that?”

“Oh. Well…” He glances over at Rayla. “We kind of ran into each other earlier that afternoon? I was coming back from talking with my stepdad and Rayla found me in the hallway and—” He winces. “We chatted.” 

“A surprising amount of talking happened, actually,” Rayla says dryly. They share a glance and both smile faintly.

“Yeah. Um… Ez found us in the study, and we ran. Rayla had said the assassins were only there for two targets and I’d...” Callum rubs the back of his neck. “Kinda lied and said I was Ezran?”

“What?” Ezran looks up from where he’s snuggling with Zym next to a disgruntled Bait, looking stricken. “You did  _ what? _ ”

Callum’s expression grows solemn. “It seemed like the best course of action at the time. Before we knew that Rayla wouldn’t hurt either of us.”

“But Callum, you could have—”

“Maybe.”

Rayla rolls her eyes. “It was very brave,” she says. “And very stupid.”

“Yes, I’m lucky you’re the one who found me and that you stalled.” The corner of his mouth twitched in an almost-smile. “I think we were both always gonna be okay in the end, as long as it was her finding us. We wouldn’t have survived the night without her.” 

Claudia’s brain is breaking, mostly due to frustration. She tries not to let it leak into her tone. “That still doesn’t really answer my question, though.”

“What do you mean, then?” Callum asks with gentle curiosity.

Claudia gestures between him and Rayla, and then Ezran for good measure. “How did... this, happen?”

“You saw most of it, actually,” Callum says, smiling slightly. 

“In the dungeons?”

“Yeah. We all just… kind of agreed that the egg had to go home.”

And then Callum had taken the elf’s word over hers for the first time. And clearly not the last. 

“We took the egg up to the roof,” Ezran explains, “so Rayla could tell the leader of the assassins what we’d found. But he didn’t listen.” The elf’s expression tightens. “Rayla fought him off so we could get away and Callum went to try and tell Dad, but didn’t get the chance to.”

“I couldn’t... stall Runaan long enough,” Rayla says, very quietly, her shoulders hunched. 

“It’s okay,” Callum says, more to her than anyone else. Like for a moment the rest of them don’t even exist. “You did what you could, and it was a lot already. I didn’t get to talk to my stepdad, really, cause of Lord Viren. He stalled me outside the doors. He—” Callum presses his lips together. “He stole my voice with Dark Magic.” 

“What?” Claudia bursts. “Why would he—?”

“I told him I knew he’d committed treason and stolen the egg. I wanted to bring it to King Harrow, but—I didn’t know if my stepdad already knew or not, and then the assassins attacked and—” Callum starts getting fidgety and Rayla places a hand on his shoulder like she’s done so a million times.

“ _ You  _ did everything you could,” she echoes.

He calms and swallows and her hand slowly slips away, back down to her side. “I ran back outside. Ez and Rayla were waiting for me in the courtyard with the egg. Rayla offered to go back into the tower with me and fight against her own people to save our father, but I knew—we  _ had _ to go to Xadia, and the castle wasn’t safe, anymore.” 

“And now we’re here,” Ezran finishes. “Close to halfway there, right?” he checks, looking at Rayla.

“Just a little under,” she corrects with a soft smile. “But close.”

Soren is quiet, but Claudia is too focused to think about it now. “You turned against your people?” she says, revolted and amazed by the lack of loyalty.

Rayla’s face shuts down. “I did what I had to do. They wouldn’t—” Her voice deadens to something low and bitter. “I was already dead to them, anyway.” 

This time Callum’s hand flits towards her shoulder. “Rayla—”

She stands up before he can make contact. “I’m gonna go for a walk. I’ll be back soon.”

He sighs, watching her disappear into the woods. Then, “I’m just gonna go check on her,” he says, getting up only moments after she leaves.

“Maybe she wants to be alone—” Claudia begins.

“I just want to check,” he says. “She…” His eyes are soft and sad and his lips twitch at the corner when he catches Ezran’s eye and his brother gives him a nod. Callum leaves without another word, disappearing through the trees in the same direction.

Everyone is quiet for a moment. “They’re… close,” Claudia says. She thinks of the way she’d reached out to comfort Callum, after telling him about Harrow, and how he’d twitched and held back tears, stepping away from her outstretched arms. Rayla probably won’t even be surprised he followed her.

“We’re all close,” Ezran says, his own brow lightly furrowed. He’s concerned for his friend, too.

“Yeah, but they’re like, obsessed with each other,” Soren says, perplexed.

“What? No they’re not. They’ve just really had to rely on each other in making decisions and looking out for me and taking care of Zym.” 

“Yeah, and it made them obsessed.”

“We’re just concerned about how close you both are with the—with Rayla,” Claudia says carefully.

“Well, you don’t have to be,” Ezran replies, resolute. “Rayla takes good care of us. She’s a  _ good _ friend. She’d do anything for us.” 

“But how do you _ know _ that?” Claudia presses.

Ezran doesn’t waver. “I know. That’ll just have to be enough for you.” 

Claudia purses her lips. So Rayla has both of them, and neither seem to be letting go anytime soon. “Alright,” she says. Maybe acting against her outright isn’t the smart move. It’ll just make the boys doubt Claudia more than they apparently already do.

Maybe trying to be Rayla’s friend would be worthwhile. Claudia can fake it for a day or two. It could get them more information about Xadia, too.

She’s lied about enough already. What’s one more?

* * *

Callum’s footsteps are quiet, but impossible to ignore all the same. Rayla just doesn’t look back. She’s not  _ surprised _ he’s come after her—clearly she didn’t run far enough, just to a longer river near a cluster of boulders that she’s sitting on—but it is sort of new.

“Are you okay?” Callum’s voice is soft.

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Okay. Can I sit with you, then?”

She waves a flippant hand. “Not gonna stop you.”

Callum sits but his hands don’t settle, his hands curved restlessly over his knees. He’s quiet, and then, in that sincere way of his, “I’m sorry I brought it up. I thought it might help Claudia not look at you like the enemy so much.” 

Rayla picks at her nails, her knees drawn up to her chest. “You really care about her opinion, huh?”

“I _ care _ about how she treats you,” Callum corrects indignantly, sounding a bit angry if not a little hurt.

“Well, we’re perfectly fine hating each other. Besides, I don’t know why you assumed that her knowing any of my business would change things.”

“It’s  _ my _ business too, I didn’t know if you’d let him shoot me or not—”

“The assassin on the roof was  _ my father, _ Callum.” Using past tense hurts, but he’s either dead or alive and hates her. Rayla rests her chin on her knees. “Adopted father, anyway.” 

Callum is silent for a long time. “I’m sorry.” When she glances at him out of the corner of her eye, his face is turned towards the horizon. The river is cool and dark under the light of the moon. “Guess we’re both three parents down.”

She turns, then. “Three?”

“Well, you know my stepdad,” Callum says, meeting her eyes. His are full of something she can’t quite identify. She watches him swallow. “And then my mom, when I was six. And my dad, when I was two.”

Rayla’s eyes fall to her lap. “I’m sorry,” she begins, but he shakes his head.

“I’m not saying that to—I just want you to know that I’m on your side, okay? And you’re not alone in this, in any of it.” He rubs the back of his neck. “You and Claudia just stresses me out, cause she’s my friend, but—” Callum’s hand reaches over and grabs at her own, and Rayla looks up at him before she can think about how close he is. “I _need_ _you_. I can’t do any of this without you.”

Her heart leaps into her throat before she can stop it. “Okay,” she says quietly. She wishes he would let go of her hand before she does something stupid like blush too obviously.

“Thank you.” Callum lets go and then of course, she’s stupidly disappointed. “I won’t bring up anything that could be personal again, though.” Rayla nods her thanks. “Can I ask one more question, though?”

“Go for it,” Rayla says with another flippant wave. Sometimes it feels like their whole friendship is based on her indulging him because he’s too cute and earnest to say no to.

“Soren and Claudia...” He trails off and she resists the urge to roll her eyes. “I  _ know _ you trust me, so w hy don’t you trust them? Or —me, I guess?  _ About _ them?” he asks, his head ducked.

Rayla purses her lips. “The truth is,” she confesses, “is that I’m scared for you.” His green eyes, so very close to hers, widen in the moonlight. She’s sure he remembers what she said that day on the shore. It feels like he remembers everything about her.  _ Moonshadow elves aren’t supposed to show fear. Ever.  _ And yet here she is, admitting it to him. Stupid. 

“Rayla…” His voice is soft and she loves and hates the way it makes her feel like she could just melt into him all at once. “You don’t have to be scared for us, I promise. We’ve known them for a long time, and they didn’t turn on us when they could have, remember? Besides,” he smiles a little, “we have you.”

The compliment doesn’t ease her mind. “You want to know why the elves waited four months to send assassins?” she asks, and then didn’t wait for an answer. “It’s called the long game. Waiting for the right moment to strike and strengthening yourself—your skills or information—in the meantime. In our case, we waited for winter to be over, so we could travel quickly. I just... based on everything you’ve told me, I don’t think they’re as steady as you say. Soren _ let _ Viren take your voice and lied about your dad.”

“Yeah, but Claudia told me the truth, remember? And she sounded upset when she heard that he took my voice. Soren’s just…”

“You don’t have to keep making excuses for him. For either of them.” Rayla’s voice hardens. “And Claudia’s a dark mage. And I don’t—” 

She remembers Callum telling her about them in the woods near the river, that first week.  _ Soren’s not the brightest but he makes up for it in bulk, even if he can’t teach me how to swordfight. And Claudia’s really sweet and funny _ —The dreamy look in his eyes. Ezran had teased him about his crush and Callum had blushed, stammering out something about how they were ‘just friends’ and that Claudia had never returned his feelings.

Until the Nexus.

“She didn’t really show any signs of liking you back until the Nexus,” Rayla says, knowing that it’s harsh but possibly true. “When she was trying to get something from you.”

“So what are you saying?” Callum’s voice cracks and his eyes flash. “That she only pretended to like me? The idea of someone liking me is that ridiculous to you—”

“No! It’s—” Rayla scrubs at her face. “It is not ridiculous that someone, or Claudia, could like you, Callum. You’re a wonderful person and a great guy. I’m just saying the appearance of her feelings, timing wise, was awfully convenient.” 

“Maybe she just wasn’t ready. Or we’re still figuring things out. I don’t know.”

“I just don’t see why she would wait so long, knowing how you feel, if she felt the same.”

“I don’t know,” Callum mutters, still annoyed but quieter. “Her parents’ divorce really hurt her as a kid.” 

“She just seems so... confident, in how you feel about her,” Rayla remarks. “It’s strange to me.” Neither Claudia nor Callum are very Moonshadow, she supposes.

“She’s not  _ that _ confident,” Callum counters. “She asked if you and I were a thing, at the Nexus.” 

Rayla’s eyes flick up to his face. “She asked what?”

“I know,” says Callum, flushing a little. “It’s weird, right?”

“Completely.” Her mouth moves of its own accord, her heart and mind racing. “Way off base. Looks like she and Ez have something in common.” The kid had thought her and Callum’s ethical debate had been flirting after all. She forces a laugh that sounds genuine. “Mistaking what we are for something else.”

“Right.” 

Still, Rayla has never known how to quit when she’s ahead. “She really thought we might be a—?” she asks, as normally as she can. “Cause I can  _ sorta  _ get how she could make that mistake with me, cause she doesn’t know me at all, but I thought she knew you really well?”

“Yeah.” Callum seems almost flustered too, and it’s easier to focus on that than her own state. “I dunno. Claudia was the only friend I had growing up who was a girl and she knows I like her. Maybe she was just reading that onto you, cause you’re my second.” 

“Hopefully,” Rayla replies. “Otherwise I don’t know  _ what _ she was thinking. You and me?”

“Right!” Callum clears his throat. “Anyway, like I originally came to check on you: you’re okay? Or, feeling a bit better now?”

Rayla nods. “I am. Um… thanks. You didn’t have to follow me.”

“I wanted to,” Callum says with a sweet smile. “Come on.” He stands up and holds out his hand. “We should probably be heading back, if you’re ready?”

Rayla takes his hand in spite of herself.  _ Weak _ . “Thanks,” she repeats. She lets go as soon as she’s on her feet. “Hey, if I promise to go slow, race you back?”

Callum’s smile grows. “You’ll still beat me.”

“Maybe, but only by a little bit. So?”

“Fine,” he says, and Rayla has to bite back a giggle as she takes her head start. “Hey, you’re supposed to say go!”

“Go!” She slows a little to let him almost catch up, her chest unexpectedly light when he laughs, too. He deserves to laugh like this all the time, whether she’s the reason or not.

Even if Rayla is scared, a little, from realizing just how badly she wants to be the reason. 

* * *

Claudia starts small. The braid they’d used to track them had genuinely been cute, so it’s already an easy compliment when she comments on Rayla’s hair.

“I haven’t washed it in a week,” is all Rayla says in reply, and Claudia figures that this will just have to be another aspect of the long game. 

Callum is easier to crack. Claudia teases him a bit more, lets her hand on his shoulder or fingers linger longer. She’s the one who brings up doing chores for the campfire together for the next few nights. Flirting with Callum doesn’t seem to be helping her case with Rayla, but Claudia knows having one solid pillar is important, before she can work on evening it out.

Rayla’s protective, she knows that. Of course the elf will be cautious about any sort of person courting Callum. It feels a little unfair, that someone who’s known Callum for a couple weeks at most is now the closest thing to a gatekeeper to him. Of course, Callum is either oblivious or doesn’t seem to mind. The amount of times he goes after her or they both speak in hushed tones to one another doesn’t go down—if anything, it’s increased, and it feels a little weird not to be the only girl in Callum’s life. Not the only one with his attention or affection.

It makes being nice to Rayla much harder.

Soren has been mostly quiet around Rayla and nothing but pleasant to Callum. Claudia supposes he’s been scared straight, in a way. However, he’s always been one to notice what Claudia does and their own whispered scheming when they get the chance. So, as Claudia starts to be friendlier and more complimentary towards Rayla, Soren does too.

He comments on her sword fighting skills instead, though. Compliments the craftsmanship of her blades that seems to make her both pleased and more withdrawn. Eventually, Soren bolsters up enough to ask, “Teach me how to sweep the leg?” and they have an evening spar with Ezran cheering. Rayla wins, and no one’s surprised, but Soren isn’t upset at all, instead smiling broadly when she helps him back onto his feet.

“You’re one heck of a warrior,” he says with what Claudia can tell is genuine admiration.

“You’re not so bad yourself,” Rayla smirks. “You rely too much on strength and not enough on speed, though.” 

“You’ll have to teach me more often, then,” he says, and out of the corner of her eye, Claudia can see Callum turning away, his face practically buried in his sketchbook. 

“The main thing is your stance,” Rayla offers. She doesn’t move over to adjust him, but Claudia knows that she could, and Soren’s grin bright and sharp. Claudia internally groans; she’s sure she, Ezran, and Callum have all seen that look often enough back at the castle to know what it means. Her daft brother has somehow become actually  _ interested _ in the elf.

Gods help her.

It better be a fling, cause Claudia will still have him be the one who kills her.

There’s a soft but clear cracking noise, and Claudia looks over in time to hear Callum mutter a curse under his breath, his charcoal stick broken in the middle from pressing too hard on the page. He doesn’t get that angry often. What could be bothering him so much? The memories of something he’s drawing, maybe?

Well, maybe this is her chance, now that Rayla’s occupied.

“Hey,” she says gently, scooting to sit closer to him. For once, Callum doesn’t smile when she approaches him. “Everything okay?”

“Hm? Oh, yeah. Just can’t get these lines right.” Soren and Rayla laugh and Callum’s jaw clenches slightly. 

“You could borrow some of my spare charcoal, if you want.” She keeps extra in her bag to annotate or correct recipes and lists of ingredients in her tome.

“It’s fine,” he says, still distracted. “I have my own spare, and I can work on it later.” 

“Oh.” She’s never been turned down before by him for anything. “Okay.” His attention is fully on Soren and Rayla now, and there’s a slight frown on his face. “They seem to be getting along,” Claudia says, trying to sound pleasant. The frown deepens.

“Yeah. It’s weird.”

“Isn’t that what you wanted, though? For us to get to know Rayla?”

“Yeah, it’s just…”

“Just what?”

“Nothing.” And then, because it’s Callum and he can’t keep anything to himself, he adds, “It’s just weird. I was kinda worried Rayla would hold a grudge because of the whole step-prince thing, but it doesn’t seem like she’s holding a grudge at all.” 

“...And that bothers you?”

“No! I don’t know. It just felt... nice to have someone stick up for me, for once.”

Claudia softens a little. “We really are sorry. We didn’t realize it bothered you so much. And Soren’s stopped, and he won’t do it again.”

“I  _ know _ ,” Callum says, and Claudia’s never heard him sound  _ irritated  _ before. Not with  _ her _ . The closest he’d come was when she’d accidentally squashed a bug in front of Ezran when they were kids and she’d made him cry, and even then Callum had only sounded stern that she go apologize.

“Do… you hold a grudge?”

“What? No.”

“So it just bothers you that Rayla doesn’t?”

“I just know Soren can be an unintentional ass and Rayla’s more sensitive than she lets on,” Callum grumbles. “That’s all.”

“I’ll talk to him,” Claudia promises and the prince looks at her again. Claudia reaches over and runs a hand through his hair, laying on the charm. “And you shouldn’t be worrying about this anyway. Come on, why don’t we go for a little walk, just the two of us?”

He flushes a little, but otherwise doesn’t react as much as normal. “I’m okay,” he says, “but thanks.”

“Oh.” Turning her down again. “Okay. If you’re sure.” They have been walking all day. She supposes it isn’t that strange.

Then he gives her the usual sweet  _ Callum _ smile Claudia is accustomed to. “I am, but I’ll make it up to you later. There’s something I wanna show you.”

Claudia smiles back. “Oh?”

“Yeah, but, uh, it’s a surprise.”

Her lips twitch into a smirk. “Just for me?” she checks smugly.

A flush colours his cheeks. “Just for you,” he confirms.

Maybe she doesn’t have as much competition for his attention as she thought. Claudia removes her hand.  _ Good _ . 

* * *

Claudia offers to go foraging that night, alongside Ez and Soren once the spar is done. It leaves Rayla and Callum to tend to the fire and Rayla appreciates the peace and quiet. Four people is twice as much as travelling with two, and now that she doesn’t have to worry about Soren and Claudia kidnapping Ezran (y’know,  _ most likely _ ) it’s nice to not have to always worry about keeping the secret from him.

It would be peaceful and quiet if Callum wasn’t fidgeting in the corner.

“What are you nervous about?” Rayla asks in a deadpan.

“Nervous? Me?” Callum says, knocking his voice up an octave. Then he sighs, his shoulders slumping. “I’d promised to show Claudia a surprise later.”

She glances up. “A surprise?” 

Callum’s hands curl and twist into the strap of his sketchbook next. “Just a drawing I did once, of her. I thought it was nice but now I don’t know if it’ll live up to expectations, y’know? What if—”

Rayla cuts him off. “Your art is beautiful. She’ll like it.”

“What happened to ‘maybe she doesn’t like me?” he harrumphs. 

Rayla shoots him a glare. “I am  _ trying _ to help you right now. Do you wanna talk about it or not?”

“No, sorry, I just—” Callum rubs the back of his neck. “I’m just nervous. Last time I brought up our date, she didn’t really give me a straight answer, I guess.” He rests his cheek in his hand and then perks up. “Rayla... you’re a girl.”

She stokes the fire with a stick. “Finally dawned on you, did it?”

“I just mean—what would you want, if someone was trying to show interest? Hopefully requited interest?”

Someone out there has a very cruel sense of humour, Rayla decides irritably. “Why would I know? No one’s ever courted me.”

“Oh, really?”

“I’m mean and intimidating, remember?”

“No you’re not.” She’s never heard him look or sound more revolted. “I mean, you can be, but that’s not who you _ are _ —”

“Well, I’m mean and intimidating enough that no one’s been interested.”

“Then you just haven’t met the right people. Look, hypothetically speaking, if someone did end up learning how funny and nice you are and you liked them back, how would you want them to show interest? Would... could a drawing work?”

She lets out a huff, mostly because her face is too warm. “Yeah. Sure. Why not?” She sighs and sets the stick down. “Callum, Claudia  _ knows _ you like her. This drawing is just gonna be more proof of that. You’re fine. She’ll think it’s sweet.”

Callum swallows and she both feels bad for him and is a little endeared to him. “Thanks, Rayla,” he says. 

“You’re welcome. Now, can we please focus on things other than your love life?”

“Right, of course,” Callum says quickly, but he’s smiling. “Thanks. It, uh...” His smile turns a little strained. “It seems like you and Soren are getting along better?”

“Yeah.” Rayla brightens. This is a much easier topic. “He’s not a bad sparring partner.” 

“That’s… nice,” he says. It comes out too slowly for her not to notice.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing! I’m really glad you’re making a new friend.”

“Okay…?” It’s rare that she can’t read him, but it seems like Callum isn’t totally sure of how he’s feeling—or at least how to phrase it—right now either.

“It’s just, I thought you didn’t like him.”

“Oh. Well, has he stopped giving you a hard time?”

“Well, yeah—”

“Then as long as he doesn’t try anything again with you or Ez, he’s fine by me.” Rayla still doesn’t trust him, of course—not really; she still doesn’t know exactly what he was up to at the Nexus with Ezran—but she doesn’t think Callum would be any more responsive to hearing that a second time around.

“Oh. Okay.” But he still has that slight pout and she really shouldn’t be so endeared to it.

She can’t stop herself from reaching over and poking him in the cheek. “You and Ez are still my actual  _ friends _ , sad prince. Don’t get yourself in a twist just cause I like to kick Soren’s ass.” 

He finally smiles a little. “You can have more friends than me and Ez,” he says.

“I know. But you’re both my favourites.”

“Oh, uh—” His smile grows wide. “Good. Thanks.”

Rayla shakes her head, grinning. “Dim prince, too, it seems.” 

Callum laughs. “Hey!” His gaze softens and for a second Rayla wonders if it’s even lingering, before the trees around them rustle and his focus swings to his brother, Soren, and Claudia, returning from their foraging trip. Callum straightens at the sight of Claudia and it’s all Rayla can do not to roll her eyes.

It is sweet that he likes someone. It’s just not as sweet that he always feels the need to try and impress them, somehow.

“We found some good berries,” Soren says, holding up a handful of tiny blue ones. “No death berries,” he says proudly. “Though, uh, we also wanted to wait to eat them. Just in case.”

“They’re fine,” Rayla confirms. 

“And the last of the cheese and bread rations we have are about to go bad,” says Claudia. “So we might as well use it.” 

“I’ll never understand you humans and your bread,” Rayla reveals. 

“Does that mean I can have your piece?” Callum teases.

She socks him in the shoulder. “What? No way.”

Claudia cooks for once and Rayla’s glad. It is nice to have a break and while Callum knows how to a little, cooking over a fire is very different than cooking in an actual kitchen (and having extra food as backups in case you make a mistake and burn something). Even if Claudia only  _ knows _ how to cook in the wild, most likely, because she’s travelled to Xadia to steal away  _ magical creatures _ for Dark Magic spells—

“Here, Rayla.” Claudia slides a tiny plate over with bread and melted cheese with berries on the side. “You first.” 

Rayla blinks. Claudia’s looking back at her with a smile, but it doesn’t quite reach her eyes. “Thanks,” Rayla says slowly. 

“We also found some healing salve for your wrist,” Ezran says, waving a bundle of big green leaves around. “You melt it down into a paste and then put it on achy joints.” 

Rayla stares at the leaves. They don’t look like anything poisonous, and Ezran would never hurt her. “Oh. Thank you. How’d you even know that? I thought you hadn’t had any first aid training?”

“Soren spotted ‘em.” 

“Oh?”

“We use them all the time after training,” Soren says with a shrug. “I was gonna pack some to use for later anyway, Ezran just mentioned your wrist, so.”

She won’t snap at him the way she’d snapped at Callum. Rayla gentles herself. “Thank you, Ez.” Ezran beams.

“We can cook it after we’re done eating,” Callum says, accepting his plate from Claudia. Ezran is already settled. Some leftover leaves and berries are served to Bait and Zym from plates set on the ground.

“What happened to your wrist, anyhow?” Soren asks with a great deal of interest.

“None of your business,” Rayla says flatly. At least the boys will hold their tongues.

“Oh come on,” Soren needles, shooting her a grin, and she can see Callum roll his eyes. Is the crownguard trying to be... charming? “If I hurt your wrist while fighting at the Moon Nexus, I kinda wanna know. So I can know I got a hit on you. And hey, if I did, I could always kiss it better.” He winks at her. 

She’s so taken aback—he’s  _ flirting, really _ ?—that she forgets to be disgusted, just blinking over the fire at him for a moment.

_ “Lay off, _ Soren,” Callum snaps from beside a perturbed Claudia. “She said she didn’t want to talk about it.” 

Soren blinks, then holds up his hands. “Alright! I was just trying to be… friendly.”

“Yeah, you were being awfully  _ friendly, _ alright,” Callum says scathingly. He’s almost scowling and Rayla isn’t sure which of the boys’ behaviour is more surprising.

“It’s fine,” Rayla says quickly. “Let’s just drop it.” She avoids looking at either Soren or Callum as they eat. 

Considering both of their actions bring up their own questions and issues as she mulls over what just happened in her head, making little sense of it. There doesn’t seem to be any reason why Callum would be so snappish, unless seeing her being friends or flirted with by someone who basically bullied him is uncomfortable, or worse, makes him feel insecure. It doesn’t seem like his style—not when he hadn’t even realized he’d been bullied for so long—but it’s the only explanation she can come up with. And why  _ Soren  _ is suddenly interested in her—well, she supposes weirder things have happened, and he’s already a sort of strange guy to begin with. 

Thankfully, Soren doesn’t make any more advances and it doesn’t come up again for the rest of dinner. 

The most baffling thing, though, that Rayla can’t rationalize away, is that Callum seemed as bothered by Soren pressing her for personal info as he did due to the actual flirting. That could just be his protective streak. It wouldn’t surprise Rayla if Soren’s a big flirt back home, too, dating other people and ditching them at random.

The thought of Callum trying to protect her is sweet, but he should know there’s nothing to worry about, shouldn’t he? Soren is very much  _ not  _ her type. She doesn’t even have a type. She’s fine.

And Callum  _ might _ be a bit more her type (if she had one!) but it’s not like she’s going to _ tell _ anyone that.

Soren or Callum or Claudia  _ least of all _ .

* * *

It’s hard, now, to have any real sense of privacy. Before, it hadn’t been too difficult. Ezran slept in later than Callum or Rayla did, so they’d always had time to talk one-on-one, or Rayla would go foraging and he and Ezran could discuss things. But now, when it comes to getting some alone time with Claudia, it’s way more trickier to come up with a non embarrassing excuse.

Rayla seems to take pity on him, though (surely she’s noticed the way he restlessly fidgets by the campfire) because she says, “Callum, can you go get more firewood?”

“Yes!” he leaps up, relieved at the least to have some space to collect his thoughts.

It gets even better when Claudia stands too and grabs his arm. “I’ll come with.” She wiggles the fingers of her other hand at him. “You’ll need some light, anyway. It’s dark out.”

He catches Rayla rolling her eyes but she doesn’t say anything else. “Just hurry back,” she says, and he makes a note to thank her later. 

Claudia gives her hand a few taps once they’re in the woods before light streams from her fingers, like a torch that doesn’t flicker. “Simpler Dark Magic spell,” she explains, smiling at his intrigued look. “You rub some gel on your hands and let it seep into your pores, and it’ll stay for about ten uses at a time.”

“O-oh,” he says, trying to sound more fascinated than grossed out. (He’s a little bit of both.) He doesn’t have the guts to ask what sort of creature the gel is made out of, just in case it’s a dragon or even worse, an elf. “Cool!”

“Right?” Claudia grins. “So much better than a torch.”

“Yeah.” Then he remembers that they are out here to collect some firewood, so he stoops down to pick some up. A couple of logs and some dry leaves for tinder will do, right? “So, uh, Claudia?”

“Yeah?” There’s a knowing smile on her face. It doesn’t make him feel anymore secure.

“That surprise I wanted to show you,” he says, cradling the firewood in one arm. His free hand lands on his sketchbook. “I thought now might be a good time?”

“Oh! Sure.” Claudia peers at him curiously and Callum splits his sketchbook open, shuffling past pages of drawings of her that aren’t the intended ones; sketches of the castle, Zym, Ez, and Rayla wheel by. 

Finally, though, he produces the drawing he’s looking for, carefully torn from the spine so she can look at it herself as he holds it out to her. She uses her other hand for the light.

It’s an older drawing of them from the castle, of one time they’d bumped into each other in the hall. Her bag of grassweed had gone spilling, as had some of his pencils. Their hands had brushed when helping the other collect their things. Her smile hadn’t been nervous, but  his had.

“Oh, Callum,” Claudia says, smiling softly. “It’s beautiful.”

“It’s you. I mean, thanks. I mean, uh—it  _ is  _ you, I don’t know why I—” His scarf feels too tightly wound around his neck. He remembers why he drew it, too, because she’d been so warm and nice even if he’d send her stuff spilling everywhere, and it was the first day he’d ever thought she ever might like him back. “Do you remember it?”

Claudia’s smile thins. “Not... really?” she admits and then scrunches her face up. “I think it was winter?”

“Summer,” he says and blushes. He wants to sink into his shoes.

“Oh, right.” 

“It was, uh—when I first started to think you could like me back, someday?”

“Oh.” She smiles sweetly again but there’s something that feels… off about it. It’s too  _ knowing  _ somehow and it makes Callum want to curl up on himself again.

“It’s—yeah, dumb, I know—”

“No! No, it’s really sweet, I just—” Claudia purses her lips in an odd sort of smile, her eyes soft. “I do really like you. And I don’t  _ not _ like you that way.”

Callum blinks, half staring. He _ really  _ doesn’t understand girls. “Which, uh. Means?”

Claudia bends down and kisses his cheek, and heat spreads over his face. “Things are kinda complicated right now,” she says, taking his hand. His fingers move numbly against hers. “But we can talk more about it once we’re home, right? That’s one of the reasons I wanted you to come back with us so badly.” 

His heart is heavy in his stomach. “Right,” he says, even if that doesn’t totally answer his question. A cheek kiss is a good sign, right? He wonders if _ he’ll _ ever have the courage to lean up and kiss her cheek. It doesn’t feel like it.

“Should we get back?” she asks after a few more minutes. 

He doesn’t really want to be out here any longer, but he lifts up the firewood in his arms anyway. “Think this is up to Rayla’s standards?” He knows she mostly sent him away to ease his nerves, but he also wants to do a good job, just in case.

Claudia just shrugs. “You know her better than I do.” 

He takes another look at it. “It’s probably fine,” he says, mostly because he knows if he did miss something, she’ll just go back with him. It makes him feel a little bad to make her do more work when he doesn’t get something right, but she never holds it against him. Teases him, sure, but she doesn’t really get upset with him for anything.

“So… we’re good to go?”

“Hmm? Yes!” He must’ve zoned out for a second. Callum adjusts his arms so he’s holding the firewood with both hands. “Let’s go.”

Rayla looks up when they arrive back at camp, Soren and Ezran distracted by a grumpy Bait who Soren is trying (and failing) to pet. Zym is curled up on Ez’s lap. “Perfect,” Rayla says, getting up to help Callum with some of the wood. “Thanks.”

“The trees were pretty thin while we were out there,” Claudia says and it somehow feels like an interruption. “We might be close to another town.”

“We don’t need to pass through it, if it is,” Rayla replies. Callum’s inclined to agree. The less she has to pretend to be a human, and the less people they’re around, the better.

“But if there’s a town, we could get horses, and go faster.” Claudia presses her lips together. “Us humans, I mean. You’re probably faster than any horse. We want to get the Dragon Prince and the boys each home as soon as possible, right?”

She frowns. “And splitting up will slow us down even more.”

“And I don’t like the idea of Rayla going up ahead on her own while we’re still deep in human territory,” Callum adds. He knows she can handle herself, of course, but that doesn’t mean they should test it. “Walking suits us fine.”

Claudia purses her lips, and there’s something in her expression he can’t make full sense of. “Fine,” she says. 

“It was a good idea, though,” Callum says, but Claudia doesn’t brighten. She just goes and sits by her brother, looking almost like she’s sulking. A furrow forms in his brow—he doesn’t know how to feel about it, much less what to do or what he may have done wrong—before Rayla shoves a piece of firewood in his face and he blinks.

“You picked up a wet stick?” she says, unimpressed. “Really?” But he can recognize a distraction when he sees one, the stick only a little damp.

“Sorry,” he shrugs. “Should we go get more?”

The corner of her mouth twitches even as she rolls her eyes. “If you want.” They have plenty, but maybe a walk would be good for him. “It’s a half moon tonight. I could still probably show off a bit of my moon magic? Since Sky hasn’t been working out for you, mage.” 

He smiles, for a moment forgetting that he was bothered by anything at all. “Sure.”

He’s happy to walk with her into the forest, whether she can show off some moon magic or not. The night might be dark, but she has better night vision, and tugs him forward by the wrist.

It feels like she’s been his light more often than not, these past couple of weeks.

* * *

Callum and Rayla disappear in the trees and Soren is glad when Ez and the animals go to sleep, so he can finally ask why his sister is sulking. “Callum break your heart?” he jokes, like the kid would ever. He’s been smitten with Claudia for years and Soren doesn’t think Callum has a mean bone in his body. A startling assertive one maybe, clearly indicated by his earlier behaviour, but not a mean one, probably.

“No,” Claudia says, nettled. “He just takes her side about everything.”

“Huh.” Soren picks at his nails. “Well, we kinda already knew that, didn’t we?”

“And you,” Claudia snaps, glaring at him. “What are you  _ doing, _ flirting with her? She’s the enemy.” 

Soren nearly backs up, but instead shrugs. “I dunno. She’s kinda cool. She doesn’t seem like an evil elf.”

“Oh, so you like her now?”

“Maybe? She seems to really care about the boys.” His voice dips to a mumble. “And she did save my life.” 

Claudia lets out a long sigh. She can’t really argue with him there. “She’s still the enemy,” she says firmly. “She’s still an obstacle for when we have to bring the boys home. We  _ can’t  _ let the Dragon Prince fall into Xadian hands.”

Even if the baby dragon wouldn’t want vengeance because humans had helped him, that’s no guarantee his head won’t be turned  _ later _ by his mother, and he’ll rain fire down on Katolis and the rest of the Pentarchy. No, the best case scenario is to get the boys back, so the throne is safe and her father can act as regent. They’ll all be safe and the baby dragon snoozing happily in Ezran’s arms will be...

Claudia pushes that thought away, her throat tightening. She just has to trust her dad. He’ll know what to do.

“Fine, I won’t…  _ fraternize _ , anymore,” Soren grumbles. “But we can still spar. She knows a lot of cool moves, okay?”

“Fine, as long as you’re both with someone and she can’t try anything.”

“I don’t think she’d try to kill me, actually,” Soren says. 

“Yeah, probably cause it’d make  _ Callum _ sad,” Claudia snarks.

“I mean, yeah,” Soren says, “though I also just don’t think she would anyway? She didn’t kill those random human hunters and she left the assassination mission.” His eyes drift towards the dying fire. “This is why I didn’t want to do the long game,” he grunts, frustrated. “Best to keep things short and simple, not long and complicate-y.” 

Claudia lets out a long exhale through her nose. Then, in the most patient tone she can muster, “It’s just a little longer, Soren.”

“But—I can’t kill her, either,” he says.

“What?”

“It’d be weird now!” 

Claudia has to resist the urge to smack him hard in the arm. “What?  _ Soren, _ that was the plan!”

“I know, but then she was nice and fun and it’s just weird now!” Soren picks at the dirt in between his feet. “I don’t  _ want _ to hurt Ezran and Callum.”

Claudia softens. “Neither do I,” she says, laying a hand on his shoulder. “But they’ll understand, eventually. We can go back home and be a family again.”

Soren looks at her, miserable and quick, and then back at the ground. “Yeah,” he says, his tone low, and silence falls for a long time. Then Soren coughs and lifts his head. “Hey, Clauds, there’s actually something you—”

Their heads snap up when the trees rustle and Callum comes stumbling out, laughing and half tripping on a thick tree root. Rayla catches him by the arm and shakes her head at him, laughing with him. 

“Thanks,” he says, straightening up.

“And this is why I carry the firewood.” 

“But—” Callum begins, sounding positively joyful as he walks backward so he can keep facing Rayla, and Claudia’s stomach twists.

The elf grabs his arm again and shushes him, even if she’s smiling. “We don’t wanna wake Ez.” 

“Oh, right.” Callum turns to face the front and smiles anyway. “Hey guys,” he whispers at Claudia and Soren, the former having to resist narrowing her eyes.

“Hey,” Claudia greets. “What were you guys talking about?”

“Um—” Callum exchanges another glance with Rayla and they both bite back a snicker. “Nothing important,” he says, like it’s an inside joke no one else could understand.

“Oh. Okay.”

Rayla nudges Callum away with a push to his shoulder. “Now go on,” she says, mostly or entirely to him. “Get some sleep. We have an early start tomorrow.” 

He gives her a soft smile Claudia’s never quite seen before, and it’s almost a confirmation of all her suspicions. “You’re sure you wanna take care of the fire yourself?”

“It’ll only take five minutes. Now go.”

“If you say so,” he says, then, turning to the others, “Goodnight!” before heading over to his bedroll. 

Claudia looks away, her tongue in her cheek. A scowl twists her mouth.

_ Assassin friend  _ her ass.


End file.
